A Clanborn Kittypet
by Divegirl
Summary: An everyday apprentice is chosen by Starclan to lead the cats-by becoming a kittypet! She brings new friends and new foes into the Warriors story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

Flowerpaw raced to Thornpaw.

"How was your first day of training?" She asked, almost bouncing out of excitement.

"Go away." Said the apprentice, his tail lashing angrily from side to side. Sulking, Flowerpaw slinked to the apprentice den and stopped suddenly as she saw a shadow looming over her.

"Flowerpaw?" Asked the figure that created the shadow. Flowerpaw whirled around to see the muscular body of her father, Tallear. "Is that you?"

"Yes." She replied quietly, suddenly realizing what she had forgotten that morning.

"I was looking for you-everyone was looking for you. Did you know that you had training today with Mudclaw?" Flowerpaw cringed as she heard an angry tone in her father's voice. She shook her head, even though she did.

Flowerpaw had promised the day that she was named an apprentice that she would not miss a single day of training. She had broken that promise now and she realized that she'd have to make up an excuse if she wanted to see the sun rise the next day.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that he wanted me to come with him today..." Her voice trailed away as if she were walking far away.

"Well, Mudclaw is going to claw your fur off if you don't go find him." Her father sighed and turned to leave the den. Flowerpaw followed and sat in the center of the disused quarry that they called their camp. She hoped that he would find her so that she wouldn't have to search from one edge of the territory to the other. She eyed a plump vole in the fresh-kill pile and reached for it.

Just as she snatched the vole from the pile, she heard the scrabbling of claws on rock and the rolling pebbles that cascaded down the entrance of the camp. She turned her head and saw her mentor sliding down the slope. She hopped up onto all four paws and jogged toward him trying to look relieved, even though that was hardly true.

"Where were you?" Said the warrior, the wind whistling through his thick tortoiseshell fur. "I looked everywhere for you. I thought that a hawk came and scooped you up!"

"I was looking for you," She lied, knowing that she was just being lazy while he was working his tail off looking for her. "Then I couldn't find you so I decided to just wait for you to come back to the camp." Her eyes wandered to Firestar who was leaping up onto the Highledge.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey hather here below the Highledge." Firestar's voice rang out through the camp. Cats emerged from their dens and some kits were tugged back into the nursery as their mothers followed the crowding cats. "I have some news to share with all of you. As you know, I have been sending out partols every other day. Yesterday, one patrol discovered something that may danger us in the future."

"Get on with it!" Cried Thornpaw, emerging from the front of the crowd. "We're getting tired of your stalling!"

Firestar sighed and went on with his announcement. "Yesterday, Brambleclaw scented twolegs by the abandoned twoleg nest." Gasps and stares of awe shot all around the camp. "I have talked this over with Brambleclaw and we both agree that it would be a wise choice that no cat goes near the nest. We don't want a replay of what happened with Graystripe, Leafpool Cloudtail and Brightheart." Flowerpaw hadn't been there when it happened, but he had heard the elders and queens discussing the disappearance of the three cats. Leafpool, Cloudtail and Brightheart had been caught in twoleg traps and Graystripe had helped lead a patrol to get them out. The three cats had been freed, but Graystripe was captured by a twoleg and had spent a moon or two in a twoleg nest. Finally, he escaped and came back to the clan. Other cats from other clans had been caught in the traps, including the Riverclan deputy, Mistyfoot.

Then, Brambleclaw stepped up onto the Highledge with Firestar and opened his jaws to speak.

"It's true, and I think that what we decided is a good choice. If I catch any apprentice without a warrior out of the camp, they will have severe punishment. Also, training will be canceled as long as the scent remains fresh." He stepped down off the ledge, followed by Firestar. The cats dispersed, but some of the queens gathered and discussed the incident.

"Great, what are we going to do with you now?" Growled Mudclaw. He brushed past Flowerkit to the warriors den and slid inside.

"Wait! Mudclaw! I'm sorry!" She chased after him but it was too late, he was in the shadows of the den and she wasn't allowed to go into the warriors den-she wasn't a warrior.

Just then, Flowerpaw began to doubt her future. Would she ever become a warrior?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two:

Chapter two:

The sun rose over the top of the quarry's edge and Flowerpaw stretched. She saw the shadows fade and emerged from the den to see a group of cats, including Leafpool, huddling around a warrior that was stretched out on the floor of the camp.

"What's going on?" Flowerpaw asked. Leafpool looked up and replied hastily.

"Frosttail ate a bad rabbit last night and he's got a bellyache." Leafpool said, flicking her tail. "Go and fetch some chervil, Flowerpaw. You do know what that is, right? It has small white flowers and fern-like leaves, okay, Flowerpaw?" She motioned to her den and Flowerpaw nodded. She bounded to the medicine cat's den, searching for the chervil.

"Aha!" She said to herself as she saw the pretty white flowers on the stalk. She picked a few bunches up and brought them to Leafpool. Wondering where Jaypaw was, she dropped the roots beside the medicine cat.

"Thank you, Flowerpaw." She said, not really paying much attention to anything but the roots and Frosttail.

"Where is Jaypaw?" She ventured. Leafpool turned and shook her head.

"She went to help Windclan. Their medicine cat is sick and the apprentice is drawing a blank about what to do." She stifled a _mrrrow_ of laughter and went on with her chore.

Getting bored with the scene, Flowerpaw went to the edge of the warriors den and peered inside.

"Mudclaw?" She cried, wondering if he was awake. "Mudclaw? Are you awake?"

"Huh?" whined a voice inside. It sounded like Mudclaw, but Flowerpaw had never heard him like that before.

"Is that you, Mudclaw?" She heard an even louder growl.

"Yes! What dop you want?" Flowerpaw was taken aback. She knew that he was angry with her for missing her training the other day, but she didn't think that he'd hold this much of a grudge.

"I was wondering, can we break the rules a little? I really want to be a warrior and-"

"You should've thought about that before you forgot that you had to train the other day!" He spat, emerging from the den. "Now you can't train because of the mouse-brained twolegs!" He shook chunks of moss from his pelt and went forward towards Leafpool and the crowd.

"Frosttail has a bellyache!" She yowled, getting annoyed because of the crowd that was growing so quickly.

"Darn right, I do!" Screeched Frosttail.

"Mudclaw, can't we just break the rules this once? I will train so hard-harder than Firestar did-"

"Don't you dare compare yourself with Firestar! He will always be a better warrior than you! You will never size up to him, no matter what!" He stalked off and climbed up the slope out of the camp. Not remembering that it was against Firestar's orders to leave the camp alone, she bounded after him

"Mudclaw?" She said, turning around in circles. She had no idea where she was and she was becoming a little worried. It was getting dark and she had wandered too far from camp. She also had no idea where Mudclaw was. What if a twoleg came and snatched her up? What if a badger came and snuck up behind her and ate her? "Mudclaw?" She began to lose confidence in her plan. She _was_ going to show him how good a hunter she was by sneaking up on prey that was near him and then catch it, but that couldn't work if she didn't know where he was. "Uh-oh!" She said as she felt a drop of water fall on her nose. "Man, does it _have_ to rain now?" She sighed and tried to realize where she was. She saw the Ancient Oak that was near the river. She could shelter there during the storm and until it was light enough to find her way back to camp. Everything looked a lot different when it was dark than when it was light. And all the familiar scents were drowned out in the rain. Everything seemed to be alive and swaying back and forth. It frightened her more than an angered Firestar, and he could get pretty scary.

She slinked towards the oak and hoped that the large branches would keep most of the rain off of her. As the clouds lit up with lightning and the forest shook woth thunder, she circled around the tree, looking for the shadiest spot.

"Oh!" She cried as lightning flashed through the sky, and she saw a ditch under the trunk of the tree, surrounded by the roots of the oak. "This is perfect! I'll just rest in here until it stops raining!" A crash of thunder shook the forest. "And thundering."

She crawled inside the hole and shook the rain from her pelt. Turning around in a circle to make a nest, she settled in and wished that she was back in the apprentice den, warm and safe, with no dangers lurking around the corner like twolegs or badgers or rogues. Another flash oflightning and then suddenly she found herself dreaming.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three:

Chapter three:

Flowerpaw wandered up the old thunderpath and stopped at the steps of the abandoned twoleg nest. It was cold all of the sudden, and her whiskers felt frozen. She looked up at the nest, wondering what was inside. She saw that the doorway was clear and she could easily climb inside. She followed her instincts, which told her to go inside. As she climbed the steps, she felt her whiskers thaw and she suddenly felt warm all over. It was like she was back in the nursery, next to her mother and her brothers and sisters, only she wasn't and that confused her. She kept walking until she was inside the nest. She saw that all the weeds and plants that had sprouted up out of the ground were gone and there was a fire burning in the wall. The fire didn't spread throughout the nest, but it did crackle and make the nest warm. She turned and saw a twoleg sitting on what looked like a tree stump, but it was shaped weird and it looked soft. In the twoleg's lap was a handsome black tom, dozing while the twoleg rubbed its back and tail.

"A kittypet?" Said Flowerpaw, turning her head. The cat's ears pricked up and turned its head toward Flowerpaw

"Flowerpaw. I've been waiting." Said the tom, which rose from his position to jump off the twoleg's lap. The twoleg took little notice and kept on sitting on the stool.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, taking a step back.

"I am Nightstar. I was the leader of Shadowclan when Firestar was only a warrior. The whole of Starclan has been watching over you." Flowerpaw was confused.

"Nightstar?" She repeated, wary of his being from Shadowclan. She wasn't sure if she could trust him, even though he belonged to Starclan.

"Yes. I am Nightstar. Starclan has chosen you."

"Why me? What have they planned for me? How-"

"Shhh." He silenced her and put his tail over her muzzle. "You'll find out soon enough." The tom faded and so did the area around her. It all turned dark.

Flowerpaw opened her eyes to see the lake in front of her. She was under the Ancient Oak again, and the rain had stopped falling. The ground was wet with dew and she licked some of it off of a chunk of moss attached to a root. It was warm, like it had been before she had fallen asleep-if, in fact, she had fallen asleep. She remembered her dream. She was in the twoleg nest. It felt like a home to her, even though it was a twoleg nest. That black tom-Nightstar- he was telling her that she was chosen. Starclan had chosen her. She didn't have the slightest idea what for. The tom had told her that she would find out what Starclan had planned soon enough. When was that?

Scrambling out of the hole under the tree, she looked around. Everything was familiar again. She could smell the boundary line with Shadowclan nearby-they must've gotten up early to re-mark their territory so that Thunderclan wouldn't try to steal their territory. As if they would, Flowerpaw thought.

Flowerpaw stretched and padded toward the lake. She was thirsty and tired, even though she had gotten a good sleep that night. After lapping up some water, she turned and headed back to camp.

"There you are!" Cried Tallear, alerting the warriors that were on the patrol with him. She had just reached the Old Thunderpath when the cats had emerged from the bushes alongside the path. "We've been looking for you! You've been gone for a day!" He started to scold her, but she just brushed past him. She didn't care what he said. She just needed to know what her dream meant. She wanted to know.

Flowerpaw jogged up the path until she was under the shadow of the Abandoned Twoleg Nest. She looked up at the nest that loomed so high. It made her feel small, but not as small as she felt when she looked up at Silverpelt on a clear night.

"Stop!" Cried her father, who bounded up next to her and grabbed her by the scruff. "You know the rules! There have been twolegs near here! You mustn't go near here!" He dragged her back, her paws scrabbling on air as she tried to run back to the nest. She'd have to wait for Starclan's message to unfold.

When They got back to the camp, the fresh-kill pile was growing. Cats were entering the camp with their mouths stuffed full with mice and voles and plump birds that were making her mouth water. After her little ordeal last night, her stomach growled at her as if to say, 'feed me'.

The patrol led her down the slope into the camp and every cat in the clearing turned to face the group.

Firestar slid out of his den.

"Flowerpaw, why don't you come inside my den and talk to me for a bit?" He asked, motioning with his tail that he needed her to come.

"First can I get a piece of fresh-" Firestar was already inside his den, the lichen swaying from the disturbance of his muscular body. Flowerpaw sighed and followed him in, her tail drooping low when it usually was held high.

"Yes, Firestar?" She asked, her eyes adgusting to the dim light.

"I want you to tell me where you were last night and why you were there. You broke the rules." Flowerpaw dipped her head.

"I am very sorry Firestar. I was following Mudclaw. I got lost when it started to rain and it got dark. I found my way to the Ancient Oak by the lake, so I decided to stay there until it stopped raining. Instead, I fell asleep." Firestar nodded.

"Go on…" He urged.

"Well, I had a dream and then when I woke up I-"

"A dream? What was it about? Do you remember?"

"Uh, yes, I think so. I was walking up towards the Abandoned Twoleg Nest. I saw that the door was open and I went inside."

"You went inside the nest? Really?" Firestar seemed amazed, like he had never heard of a Clan-born cat going inside a twoleg nest. Like he hadn't heard of his kin, Cloudtail.

"Yes. Then, I looked around. It was warm and comfotable inside. It felt like the nursery, being with my mother. I saw a fire in the wall of the nest, but I wasn't scared of the fire. It wasn't spreading and it looked safe. I turned around and saw a twoleg sitting on something that looked a little like a tree stump. On the twoleg's lap was a kittypet."

"You aren't going to become a kittypet, are you?" He interrogated, his head tipping and his eyes glaring into hers.

"No, of course not! It was just a dream! Anyway, I said, 'a kittypet?' and the cat got up and came to me. He said that his name was Nightstar."

"You had a dream from Starclan! Nightstar was the leader of Shadowclan when I was only a-"

"A warrior, I know." She cut him off, eager to keep telling about her dream. "So he told me that Starclan had chosen me and that I would figure out what I would have to do soon enough. Then everything faded and went black." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Firestar nodded and motioned with his tail.

"Why don't you go to Leafpool. She might be able to tell you what it means." He said. He was right. Leafpool had a close connection with Starclan, but not just because she was a medicine cat. She had found the Moonpool and Starclan had shown her where her sister, Squirrelflight, was when she went on the journey to the Sun-Drown place.

So that's what she did. She trotted right up to Leafpool's den and peeked inside. "Leafpool?" She asked. "Are you here?" Then she heard a terrifying screech.

"Hide! Run! Get away from here! Hide the kits!" It was Crowfeather

from Windclan. 'what is he doing here?' Flowerpaw asked herseld. 'He's from Windclan.' Leafpool was behind him, her flank bleeding.

"Where's Jaypaw?" She rasped. Then she dropped to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four:

Chapter four:

"Jaypaw!" Crowfeather launched himself down the entrance to the camp and ran towards Firestar. "Where's Jaypaw?" He growled, and Firestar cowered back.

"I think he went out on a patrol." Firestar replied. "Why must you know?"

"Leafpool has fainted, and a battle is yet to come! The rest of Windclan is coming! We must leave at once!"

"Crowfeather, are you forgetting that you do not belong to Thunderclan? You belong to Windclan."

"But Thinderclan is like my home. I love the cats that are in it. My friend Brambleclaw-where is Brambleclaw? I need to speak to him!" Running in circles, crying for Brambleclaw, Crowfeather looked like a kit that had lost it's mother. Peering up at the edge of the quarry, Flowerpaw saw eyes, shining eyes, peering down at the camp from the brush and thorns that surrounded the camp.

Launching herself forward, she ran up the slope and hollered.

"Prepare for battle! Windclan is here!" Warriors and apprentices, including Thornpaw, came out of their dens and they stared at her, like she was the clan's leader.

A loud yowl from above made the cats lose their focus and stare at the attackers instead. Onestar screeched and led his clan into the camp, claws unsheathed.

A mass Windclan cats fled out into the clearing in the center of the camp and another mass of cats, the Thunderclan cats and Crowfeather, fled toward them.

Yowls and cries flooded the camp and Windclan was blended in with Thunderclan, as if they were one clan in a civil war. Flowerpaw ran into the center of the crowd and used her scent to find a Windclan cat that was watching the fight.

Creeping up behind the cat, Flowerpaw let out a hiss. "Get out or else I'll attack." The cat turned around. It was Onestar, the leader of Windclan.

"I am a leader, you are an apprentice. Which is going to listen to the other's orders?" He sprang himself at her, and she swiftly dodged him. Her claws unsheathed, she scratched at his muzzle, trying not to kill the leader, but to scare him off. Sheathing her claws, she gave a blow to his head. One star shook his head and got back in the battle. But Flowerpaw was not finished, in fact, she was just warming up.

"Ha!" she shouted, as Onestar tried to shoot the same attack at her. "You missed me- oh!" The wind was knocked out of her as a cat barreled into her. She turned and saw Thornpaw and a Windclan warrior, Thornpaw fighting like Tigerclan. He was zeroed in on his opponent's paws and tail, trying to snatch them and rip the fur off of them. He sucseeded as his opponent scrambled away, limping up the slope.

Flowerpaw turned back to face Onestar, but he was gone. She looked for another cat to attack, but the only one was Crow feather, who was fighting on her side. Then, out of the bushes, sprang Ashfoot, the Windclan deputy.

Ashfoot grabbed Crowfeather by the tail and attacked his flank. Sprinting into the battle, Flowerpaw sprung on top of Ashfoot and screeched.

"Get off!" Cried Crowfeather, his sides bleeding. Flowerpaw had to do something to help him. He was a good friend of Thunderclan and he had helped them by sounding the alarm that Windclan were coming.

Flowerpaw grabbed Ashfoot's scruff with her teeth and shook her off of Crowfeather. Then it was two against one who was lying on the floor of the camp, tired out already.

Crowfeather looked at Flowerpaw and she knew what to do. Crowfeather got behind Ashfoot and they fought so that she didn't know who was striking her and where.

Finally, when she was too tired to fight on and attack back, Flowerpaw sprang on her again. Biting her in the back of the neck hard, she felt Ashfoot go limp and recoiled_. Did I just kill the Windclan Deputy?_ She thought.

Sure enough, all of the fidgeting and screeching that the deputy was doing had stopped and the blood stopped flowing out of her wounds.

"Did you just kill my deputy?" Crowfeather asked, turning on Flowerpaw then.

"It was an accident!" she stuttered, trying to fid out if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she had killed Ashfoot.

"You used the killing bite! You aren't supposed to use that unless nessesary! You're only an apprentice, anyway!" Crowfeather looked deep into her eyes, and then turned tail to return to Firestar who was lying outside of Leafpool's den.

"Where is Leafpool?" He asked. "Is she busy?"

"I'd think so…" Flowerpaw said, loking around the camp. There was blood all over the dirt and rock and Flowerpaw wondered how Thornpaw was. The last time she had seen him was when he was fighting the Windclan warrior. "Have you seen Thornpaw?" She asked.

"He went to look for Leafpool for me. He was pretty scratched up himself."

Stumbling down the slope, Thornpaw came, followed by Leafpool who was almost dragging Jaypaw by the scruff. Soft mews were coming from the apprentice as he was brought down the slope.

As she stopped at Firestar's paws, Jaypaw suddenly jerked awake.

"Flower! Where's the Flower? He said that there'd be a flower -" He cried, as he hopped to his paws.

"What are you talking about? Who's 'he'?" Flowerpaw asked, looking around for herself.

"Nightstar! He said that I'd have to look out for a flower! Are there any flowers around here?" He was frantically dashing around the camp. "Flowers! Flowers! I need a flower!" Flowerpaw rolled her eyes-suddenly she recognised something.

"Nightstar? I had a dream with him in it too!" Firestar yelped al Flowerpaw turned around. Leafpool was watching him gulp down a mixture of leaves and berries. Firestar swallowed.

"Ugh. That is horrible!"

"Here, have some more." Mewed Leafpool as she stuffed some more in his face.

"No way! That stuff is gross!"

Leafpool looked at him disaprovingly. "You have to eat it if you want to keep the life you have. It's your seventh life!"

"So what. I lost one in a battle a while ago and I lost one just a few minutes ago. What's the big deal?" He stretched his paws and got up. "Give some to Thornpaw and Flowerpaw. They need it more than I do."

Leafpool shrugged and turned to the apprentices, offering them the green mixture that Firestar had complained about. "Well, you heard him." She ushered the herbs toward them. They recoiled.

"Uh, no thanks, Leafpool."

Yeah, don't you just have some cobwebs or something that doesn't involve a really bad taste?"

Nope. I ran out yesterday." Stuffing the stuff in their mouths, she turned and walked away.

Flowerpaw turned to Thornpaw. This time, she knew that they finally agreed on something.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello?" Flowerpaw wandered around the camp. "Is anybody there?" She heard the scuffling of paws in leaves and grass and turned around. It was Nightstar again.

"Flowerpaw. Follow me."

He led the way out of the camp.

"Where are we going?" Flowerpaw asked, looking around. Nothing was familiar and she couldn't smell Thunderclan anywhere. "Are we still in Thunderclan territory?"

Nightstar kept on padding down a trail. He turned suddenly and looked behind where Flowerpaw was standing.

"What is it?" She turned and saw a mass of shining cats, silver and deep gray and slick black and even snowy white. "Woah-"

"Flowerpaw, you must listen closely. There is not much time until sunrise in the territory, so wer must talk fast." A blue-gray she-cat with beautiful blue eyes stepped forward and sat next to her. Another cat, this time it was a kit.

"Mosskit. Please share your prophesy." Mewed the she-cat.

"A kitty-pet will save the clan and a clan-born will help."

"You are that cat." Said Nightstar.

"The clan-born one?"

"Both." Then everything faded and she was back in her den. The sun had risen and cats were bustling everywhere.

"Where's Jaypaw? Is he here? Where did he go last night? We needed three medicine cats to heal all of the wounded cats, but Leafpool was all alone." Cried one cat. Flowerpaw stretched and rose to her paws.

"What is all the commotion about?" She asked, emerging from her den.

"Jaypaw is still missing. We can't find him anywhere. Have you seen him?" Flowerpaw shook her head and turned toward the center of the camp, where Mudclaw was laying.

"Hey, Mudclaw. Is it okay if we go and train today?" Mudclaw shot her an angry glare.

"I don't think that you need any training. You did fine yesterday."

"Then why don't you tell Firestar that? Then he can name me a warrior and-" Mudclaw interrupted.

"No. I didn't say that you were ready to become a warrior. You still need to _act_ like a warrior." Flowerpaw tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"

"You need to stop being so kit-like and take responsibility. You also need to follow rules. Your fighting skills and hunting skills are fine. You showed one of those yesterday." He got up and stalked toward the hill that led to the world outside of the camp.

"What does he mean? I didn't fight too many cats." She wondered aloud.

"You know what he means. Remember what you did to the Windclan deputy?" Thornpaw appeared next to her, with an angry glare.

"So what? I fought for my clan! I thought that was a good thing!" Thornpaw got up and went to the medicine cat's den. Sighing, Flowerpaw got up also and went to a crowd of cats.

"What is going on?"

"Sandstorm is going to take a patrol up to the twoleg nest to see if the scent of twolegs is still there." Replied Dustpelt who was craning his neck to see into the center of the group.

"I'll take two warriors and two apprentices." She said. "Split up into two groups-warriors and apprentices." The cats shuffled and formed the two groups. Thornpaw and Flowerpaw were in a group with Stormpaw and Featherpaw. Among the warriors, Flowerpaw saw Graystripe, Mudclaw and Tallear. They were looking around, seeing who else was in the crowd.

"I'll have…Graystripe-of course- and Mudclaw. Thornpaw and…" _Please pick me… please pick me, _Flowerpaw chanted. She wanted to go so badly. "Flowerpaw."

"Yes!" She cried, almost loud enough for the rest of the cats to hear.

"Alright. We'll leave in a few moments."

The chosen cats grouped together and chatted for the small amount of time while Sandstorm went to tell Firestar who she had picked.

"You shouldn't have been chosen." Mudclaw said to Flowerpaw. He obviously still held a grudge against her for sneaking off and killing the Windclan deputy.

"Alright. Let's go!"

The cats bounded after Sandstorm and ran from the camp.

"Windclan ahead!" Cried Thornpaw, who was standing next to Flowerpaw.

"Good one." She said, scenting it for herself. "It's only one or two cats though."

Flowerpaw was right. A cat spoke behind a bush near the boundary. She recognised the voice.

"I am here in peace. I am not a threat unless you provoke a fight." Crowfeather stepped behind the bush.

"Hi Crowfeather." Flowerpaw said. She looked up to him. He was like her hero.

"I have brought news from Windclan. We appointed a new deputy."

"Wonderful!" Said Graystripe. "Who is it?"

"It's me!" he cried.

"Good for you!"

Out of the bush climbed another warrior. Nightcloud.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Thornpaw, his fur fluffing out. He recognised her from the battle. She was the one who pushed him into Flowerpaw.

"I'm here to make sure our mew deputy isn't killed like the last one." She looked angrily at Flowerpaw, who growled back at her.

"Then don't start a fight." Crowfeather said, turning and looking at the angry she-cat.

"Well, we just wanted to tell you the news." Nightcloud said, and then she led Crowfeather towards the border to go home.

"That was cool." Thornpaw said, watching the cats leave.

"Yeah, I know! Crowfeather is the new deputy!" Replied Flowerpaw.

"No. I think Nightcloud was looking into my eyes with fear!" He laughed and turned to follow the rest of the patrol.

When the cats finally reached the twoleg place, it reeked of twolegs.

"Ugh!" Cried Graystripe. "That is horrible!"

"I can't stand that smell any more than you can." Snapped Thornpaw.

"Why are you so fresh?" Hissed Flowerpaw.

"At least I'm not crowfood."

"Yeah, but your tongue is equal to the smell!" Thornpaw glared at her and then Sandstorm stepped in between them.

"Alright, you two. That's enough. We're not here to fight. We're here to patrol. Now be nice and let's get on with this patrol."

She stalked away and flicked her tail to signal for them to follow him.

Glaring at Thornpaw the whole way around the nest, they slid under brush and tall bushes. Then, something rustled behind them, louder than a badger or fox. Flowerpaw turned around and smelled the air.

"The twolegs are close. Maybe we should head back…" She didn't get to finish her sentence.

"Run!" Cried Graystripe, who was already a few fox-lengths away from where they stood, their paws almost frozen to the ground in fear.

The rest of the patrol pelted after him, but Flowerpaw was too frightened to move. She stood in fear, her pelt prickling and her eyes opened wide.

"Come on, Flowerpaw!" Cried Sandstorm. "They're coming!"

"Scampering away, the patrol went back to the camp without Flowerpaw.

The twoleg bent down and picked her up in an uncofortable way. A hand held her back paws while another hand grasped her scruff.

"Ouch! Put me down! Let me go!" She turned to where the cats had disappeared, but they were no longer there. They had left her to be stolen by the twolegs. "Help? Somebody? Please?" She pleaded, her small lit candle of hope just went out. It was dark and cold inside and she wished that somehow, someway, someone would come and get her out of her pit of doom.


	6. Chapter 6

The door opened and Flowerpaw was carried inside. It felt like her dream.

There was a fire burning in the wall, but this time, she was afraid of it spreading and devouring the nest like it did to the old Thunderclan home in the forest. She had heard of the tales and stories told by the elders.

The twoleg spoke, but Flowerpaw couldn't understand the jubmle of words pouring out. They were so loud, too.

A sleek black tom came around a corner in the nest, padding proudly-with a bell around his neck! How could a cat be so proud looking if he is a kittypet? Flowerpaw vowed inside her head that she'd never be so proud if she had to be a kittypet for the rest of her life.

"Who are _you_?" Asked the kittypet, sneering.

"I an Flowerpaw from Thunderclan." She replied, feeling threatened. _Why do I feel so scared of this kittypet?_ She asked herself, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "And _you_ are?"

"I am Jack. I live with my housefolk in this place." He looked around like it was Highstones. He had no idea how horrid smelling the place was compared to the wonderful smell of the outdoors.

"You're a kittypet?" She asked, The twoleg dropping her onto the floor and pounding away on the floor as it left the nest to go back outside.

"A what? I live with my housefolk."

"How can you live here? This place reeks and it's so small."

"This is my home."

"My home is in the forest. I love it there more than I love it here. No cat should have to line in a twoleg nest."

"Wait, so you're saying that you live out in the woods?"

"MmmHmmm" Flowerpaw nodded. "Yeah, in the old quarry by the lake. Have you ever been there?"

"No." His mood suddenly changed. "I envy those cats who are lucky enough to live out there. I want to feel the wind through my fur and the sweet scents of the flowers growing in the fields and the river making babbling sounds as it tumbles down to the lake." He used such expressive language and such a longing tone of voice, it was almost like he had been in the woods before.

Flowerpaw had never noticed the beauty of the Thunderclan camp or their territory. She had only noticed the negatives-her babbling mentor, the badgers and foxes and twolegs that had taken her.

"I never thought of it that way…" She said, thinking of all the wonderful things that she had never really payed attention to.

"Whatever…" He said, padding over to his 'upwalker', rubbing his head on her leg like he was begging her for something.

"Wow. You kittypets are desprate!" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, if you ever want to get out of here, you might as well suck up to the one who can make it happen."

"Yeah. So suck up to Starclan!" She spat, trotting away towards where the tom had appeared.

She rounded the corner and saw that there were tall stools like the ones in her dream and there was an even bigger stump, but it was cube-shaped.

"This is quite strange…" She said to herself, looking around wondering how a twoleg would use the strange things in the nest.

"Yeah. I know… So are you. You come from a 'Clan', you don't suck up to the upwalkers and you think that the life of a kittypet is easy. Believe me. It's not easy at all." He flicked his tail towards a bowl. "If they don't feed me, I'll be hungry." That made Flowerpaw think of how hard it was in the forest during a very cold leaf-bare. There usually was little or no prey and the cats had to deal with real hunger. _Not-oh, I missed a day of gross kittypet food. I'm gonna die! _Kind of hunger. "If the litterbox isn't clean," He said, motioning toward a box that was full of sand and cat dirt. "I have to go in dirtiness." She rolled her eyes. That was hardly a problem at all. _Try finding a place to go in privacy…with every creature stalking around in the forest, just waiting for you to be vurnerable!_ She challenged. "And when cats like you come along, my upwalker can't resist but to take you in for a while, and then send you to the shelter, of course." _The shelter? Was that like the Cutter? Where cats come out no longer like a clan-born?Suddenly turned into a kittypet and then kept into a cage until one of those stinking twolegs comes around and takes you to another foregin flace? No way, I am not going there._

"Wow." She said sarcastically. "Your kittypet life is harder than mine in the forest. You actually have to eat kittypet food!" The tom gave her a glare and stalked away.

"Fine. Lets see how you do on your first day at the shelter." Those words put fear into Flowerpaw. She had never gone to the shelter before, and she was pretty sure that she didn't ever want to.

"Get up!" Cried a voice. A black paw nudged her in the side. "It's time for food!"

"Fresh-kill!" She cried, at once getting up and walking around the nest sniffing for food. All she could smell was nasty twoleg and kittypet smell and kittypet food smell.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked, tilting his head and looking at her as if she were merely a curious kit, wandering around in circles.

"Where's the fresh-kill?" She asked, stopping to sniff the air. She didn't smell any and she certainly hoped that what Jack meant by 'food' was not the stench of kittypet food.

"Served?" She stumbled over her words like a river stumbles over pebbles in the streambed.

"Yes. Now come eat your food." He bent down and there were two of those bowl things in front of him, filled to the brim with rock-like cat food.

"Oh, no! I am _not_ eating that crowfood-or should I say-_kittypet_ food!" She glanced at the food, then at Jack. He seemed so happy to be eating the nasty stuff in the bowl.

She padded over to where he was standing, gulping down the food like it was his last meal on earth before he went to join Starclan.

Reaching down, she snatched a chunk of the 'food' and chewed.

"Uh!" She spat the food out and shook her head, tongue hanging out.

Gulping, Jack replied. "What? You don't like it?"

"Ha! Don't like it. I _hate_ it! It's worse than crowfood!"

"Okay. More for me!" He said, sticking his head in her bowl and eating al of her so called, 'food'.


	7. Chapter 7

Thornpaw raced into camp

Thornpaw raced into camp. "Firestar! We have a problem! A big problem!"

"Yes, Thornpaw. What is your problem?"

"Flowerpaw…Twolegs…Captured…Help!" Thornpaw was out of breath. He had raced as fast as he could back from the nest. He wasnted to tell Firestar exactly what happened.

"Calm down, Thornpaw. Tell me what happened. Deep breath…"

"We were by the nest with Sandstorm's patrol and Flowerpaw got captured by twolegs! They picked her up-she was forzen, too scared to move and…" His voice trailed off as cats crowded around listening to the story. The rest of the patrol was there, also, nodding when Thornpaw talked.

"I'm sorry. I tried to get her to follow us, but she was too scared to think…"

"Shame shame." Said Mudclaw, who was seated next to Tallear. "I was just about to ask Firestar if he could name her as a warrior." He looked at Tallear and then At Firestar. Cats bowed their heads as if a cat had been killed.

"Don't bow your heads, mouse-brains! She's not dead!"

"But she will be! You saw what they did to our old camp in the forest! They destroyed it and took Graystripe hostage."

"Actually, I wasn't kept hostage, They just kept me for a while until I found a way to escape with Millie." He looked around at the cats that were crowding around them.

"Well, then, maybe Flowerpaw will find a way to escape from the twolegs."

"Firestar, with all due respect, I don't think that Flowerpaw is smart enough to find a way out. Those twolegs may be strange, but they are no idiots." Mudclaw inturrupted.

Tallear shot Mudclaw an angry glare and then turned away towards the fresh-kill pile.

"Well, I'll lead a patrol up there to see if there's a way that we can get her out."

"Good idea, but stay at least two tail-lengths away from the nest. We don't want two cats missing. One is bad enough." Once again, a crowd formed around the cat who had spoken. It was Tallear.

"Okay. Who was with her when she disappeared?" He asked.

"I was." Replied Thornpaw. "And so were Graystripe and Sandstorm-"

"Good. I'll take you three and I'll take you, Mosspaw." He turned to lead the cats out of the camp and up the slope.

"Okay. Where was she standing when she was taken?" Tallear asked. It had started to drizzle and they couldn't smell her. All they could smell was the reek of twolegs. Their stench was so horrid that not even rain could get rid of it.

"She was standing right here when the stupid twoleg scooped her up." Thornpaw said, standing on a patch of dirt in the garden of the nest.

"Okay. I'm going to ask a few of you to stay here while the rest come with me to look around the nest." He pulled Thornpaw and Mosspaw out to keep watch while the rest went around the nest to look for an escape route. The ground shook. It wasn't thunder, but a heavy step landed right in front of the two cats.

"Not again!" Cried Thornpaw, and they raced away, not even realizing where they were. The cats didn't smell the scent boundary with Shadowclan and they ran right into their territory, right into a Shadowclan patrol.

"Uh, oh." Said Mosspaw, her fur bristling in fear.

"Hey! I smell Thunderclan!" Cried one of the warriors on the patrol.

"Yeah! Me too!" Cried another.

The apprentices scrambled under a bush and tried to hide, to blend in like a chameleon, but they knew that they couldn't because of their pelts. The bush didn't have any leaves on it and their pelts would stand right out.

"It's over here." Said one of the Shadowclan cats. The cat snuffled under the bush, and letting out a yowl, Thornpaw craped the cat's muzzle and the cat reared back and screeched.

"Run!" Cried Mosspaw, her pelt flashing out of the bush and back toward Thunderclan territory. Thornpaw rushed after her, the Shadowclan cats right on their tails.

Panting, they raced towards the Windclan territory, hoping that Crowfeather would be there to help them. They knew that he was a god friend of Thunderclan and that he would loose the fur on his back to help them.

Luckily enough, there was a patrol coming when they reached the border.

"Crowfeather? Crowfeather?" Mosspaw cried, scared of the lean, muscular Windclan cats on the other side of the border.

"Yes?" Came a strong voice on the other side. Crowfeather stepped through the small crowd of cats to the edge of the border. His strong body shoved the cats without even lifting a claw. "You called for me?"

"Crowfeather, we need your help. Twolegs have moved into our camp and they took Flowerpaw and they might have taken Sandstorm and Graystripe too!" Crowfeather nodded.

"So you want me to help? And cross the border?" The cats nodded.

"We really need your help."

"Why don't you just go get firestar and all the other cats?"

"We need _you_! Not Firestar! He could get captured!"

"So you're going to use me as bait? Okay, now I'm _definitely_ not helping…"

"No! Crowfeather! Please! We need your help!" One of the cats in the patrol stopped him from walking and whispered something in his ear. Crowfeather nodded slowly and turned around.

"Okay. Where are these stupid twolegs?"

"Okay. The nest is right up here." Mosspaw said, like she was giving a tour.

"Sandstorm? Graystripe? Can you hear me?" Crowfeather said. He looked around.

"Where did they go? Were they looking for us?" Thornpaw asked himself. He bagan to think of Flowerpaw, how lonely and hopeless she must feel. He really did feel sorry for her, even thought they never really got along. He told himself right then that if she ever got out of that nest, he wouldn't let her out of his sight. She would be by his side always-hunting, sleeping, patrolling, playing, training… The list went on in his head.

"Thornpaw. Thornpaw! Hello?" Mosspaw was waving her tail in front of his face, trying to wake him up out of his daydream.

"Oh! Sorry. Daydreaming a little." He said, his face getting hotter under his pelt.

"A _little_?" Mosspaw laughed and trotted off behind Crowfeather.

"Yeah. This is a twoleg nest all right!" He said, looking up at the looming structure. He creeped up towards what looked like a hole in the wall, but he couldn't get through it. He could see through it, though.

"Flowerpaw! Flowerpaw, are you in there?" He cried, looking through the hole.

A beautiful tabby she-cat lay right below the window. Hearing the noise outside, the cat lifted her head and looked at the source of the sound. Her eyes widened and she cried out.

"Crowfeather! Help me!"


	8. Chapter 8

Ch8

Hearing his voice made her comforted. She wanted to get out of the nest, but she kind of liked the safety of the nest. There weren't any foxes or badgers or loners that would rip her fur off. There weren't any crazy, power-hungry leaders or monsters. She also liked Jack. He was a nice tomcat and she liked the way he thought. She believed that he'd make a great warrior with his spirit and how he tries the impossible.

"Crowfeather! Can you hear me?" She asked. The dark gray cat nodded.

"Stay there! I'll try to find a way to get you out!" Flowerpaw put her head down and closed her eyes for a nap.

She was walking in the nest, but the nest had trees and bushes growing out of the floor. It was like a confined forest. She turned around and saw Jack following her.

"Where are we?" He asked her.

"I don't know. I think we're in your nofur's nest.

"No. This can't be it! Why are we having the same dream? Isn't this kind of weird?"

"No, this is a dream from Starclan."

"Starwho?" He said, tilting his head.

"The clan that watches over cats. Our ancestors are watching over us right now.

"You mean Floss is looking over me right now?" He looked up at the roof of the nest, which had disappeared and the starry sky was revelaed.

"Floss?" She asked.

"Yeah. She was my mother." I was taken away when I was just a kit.

"Hmmm."

"Anyway, where are we and why?"

"I don't know."

They walked side by side for a while, nothing ringing a bell.

"Jack, I have to tell you something." She sighed.

"What?" He said, his flank pressing against hers.

Jack, I really don't want to leave, but my clan needs me. If I can't take you with me, I just want you to know…" She thought about what she was going to say.

"Yes?" He asked, getting impatient.

She wrapped her tail around his. "I-I love you." Her voice trailed away like she was embarrassed.

"Oh," Jack said, pulling his tail away from hers. "Well, I like you, just not even close enough to _love_ you…" Flowerpaw's tail drooped and she looked into his beautiful amber eyes.

"Okay," She sighed. "I understand. But you would like to come with me back into the forest, right?"

"Maybe." To they have the kind of food that we have here?"

"No, and you don't get 'served'." She joked and he shoved her away jokingly.

A bright light shone and danced in front of her and then disappeared over a hill." Then the world around them faded and she was back on the window sill.

"Flowerpaw! Flowerpaw!" Cried Jack.

"There's a group of cats outside. They're looking for you!"

"Ha!" She said. "It's okay. They're trying to get us out of here!"

"Us?" He looked scared.

"Yeah, you said that you might decide to come in the dream!"

"Yeah, I said 'maybe'." Flowerpaw sighed and padded towards the door.

"Teach me how to get the nofurs to let me outside. I can't do it." She said, watching for the nofurs.

"Alright, You have to plead with your eyes and scratch at the door."

"Like this?" She said, running her paw, claws sheathed, down the door and making a sad face.

"Perfect." He said, letting out a mrrrow of laughter. "I didn't think that you would take to 'kittypet' tactics to get out of here. I thought that you liked this place." He looked away.

"I do, but my clan needs me! They need more apprentices and I really help them out!" She sighed and turned around to face him. "But no matter what, you heard me in our dream, right?" He nodded. "I do live you, Jack. I wish you could come with me back to the clan."

"Maybe I can. Can I?" His eyes were glossy and handsome. "Please? I hate this place so much! I always wondered what it would be like in the forest, and now is my chance. Please, I'll do anything."

"If you help me get us out of here, sure." She said, purring. She had dreamed of him coming with her, and it could happen. Her dream was coming true!

"Hello! Flowerpaw! Hi there, but we're trying to escape right now, so it would help if you weren't spacing out…" He waved his tail in front of her muzzle, and she tried to snatch it playfully.

"I know, I just was thinking…"

"Flowerpaw! Flowerpaw!" Cries rang out from another part of the nest. They were loud, so they couldn't be coming from outside of the nest. She spun around and saw a dark gray shape coming warily around the corner.

"Crowfeather! Oh, Thank you!" She pelted to him, her eyes wide and her tail high up in the air. "Thank you! Thank you!" She cried and kept repeating the joyful phrase.

"Ahem…" Jack cleared his throat, trying to get their attention.

"Oh!" Flowerpaw said, looking back at the sleek black tom. "This is Jack. He's coming with us." She purred and looked at him lingingly.

"A kittypet?" Thornpaw bounded around the corner followed by Mosspaw.

"Yes, I am a kittypet, but not for long!" He said, holding his head high as he walked over to the cluster of cats. "You know, we'd better get going before the-" A large footstep shook the floor that they were standing on.

"Follow me!" Cried Crowfeather as he darted to the way he came in. Mosspaw, Flowerpaw, Thornpaw and Jack followed him, out a window and out onto the grass that had grown around the nest. It was green and soft, still damp with dew. She hadn't felt the grass under her paws for two days, and it felt good. She massaged her claws in the soil and relaxed her paws. She would be back home in no time.

"Sandstorm! Graystripe! Where are you?" The group cried. They were running around frantically looking for them. They had gottewn far enough away from the nest that they couldn't be found, and they were looking everywhere.

"Help!" Cried a voice. Graystripe's voice. They were close to the old thunderpath, only it smelled of monsters.

"Monsters? Here? I thought this place was abandoned!" They jogged to Graystripe, who was lying beside a limp body, blood trickling from the flank of the body.

"Sandstorm!" Cried Flowerpaw, who rushed to the she-cat's side. "No! What happened?" She glared at Graystripe like he had pushed her in front of a monster.

"I'm sorry! He cried. "We were crossing the thunderpath, and since it was abandoned, I didn't think of looking, and she got hit! A monster roared right through here and smashed into her!"

"Ugh." Sandstorm uttered.

"She's still alive! Sandstorm! Can you hear me?" Thornpaw rushed up next th Flowerpaw.

"Uh-huh." She could barely make a sound.

"Graystripe, you'd better run back to the camp and get Leafpool. You were here when it happened." Flowerpaw said. Graystripe nodded his head.

"Who died and left you deputy?" Said Mosspaw, glaring at Flowerpaw.

"Well, I hope it wasn't me!" Cried Graystripe, running off toward camp.

"Move aside! Let me come through!" Cried Firestar, as he shoved his way through the surrounding cats.

Graystripe followed him and sat down next to Sandstorm who was eating some herbs from Leafpool. As Firestar approached Sandstorm, he looked away.

"What is wrong, Firestar?" Graystripe asked, concerned about his leader.

"I-I can't watch my mate die like this. It's like watching Tigerstar kill Squirrelflight!"

"Hey!" Cried Squirrelflight, who was sitting in the crowd f cats.

"Excuse me, but Sandstorm will not die." Leafpool gave Firestar a look that gave him a warning not to question her healing powers. Jaypaw nodded, sitting next to her while she supervised the wounded cat.

"I'm sorry, I just can't stand to see her wounded…" His voice trailed off and he turned to look at her with eyes that longed for her to suddenly heal and then never get hurt again, but he knew that it would never happen.

"I'm okay, honest!" Cried Sandstorm. She attemped to get up, but failed, only to fall on her side again.

"No you're not! You have a broken leg and a broken rib. Plus, you're bleeding more than I've ever seen before." Leafpool gave her another bunch of leaves and berries.

"Oh, no. Not more nasty herbs!" Sandstorm glared at Leafpool and opened her mouth so that Leafpool could shove the herbs in her mouth.

"Ouch!" Leafpool cried, as Sandstorm purpously bit her paw as she shoved the herbs back in her mouth.

"That'll teach you that I can be independent. I don't need some silly medicine cat's advice when I know I'm fine!" She finally pushed herself up, and grimaced as she tried to support herself with the broken leg.

"Here, let me help you-" Jaypaw was inturrupted by erruption of yowls from the injured cat.

"No! What did I just tell your mentor? Don't help me!" She stalked off to the leaders den, limping and stifling a cry every time she stepped on her leg.

"Firestar? Are you in here?" She asked. Flowerpaw bounded up to her.

"No, he's over with Leafpool. You really upset her-"

"Shut your yap!" She slid into the den and lay down next to Firestar's nest.

Flowerpaw sulked out of the den entrance and sighed. It didn't seem like any cat in the camp cared about her coming back. She knew that there was someone who she could talk to.

"Have you seen Jack?" She asked Mosspaw.

"I think he's over by the fresh-kill pile. He's pretty mesmorized by the amount of fresh-kill that we bring into the camp." She laughed and turned around to go to the apprentices'den.

"Hey!" Flowerpaw said when she saw Jack's silky black coat by the fresh-kill pile. His head rose from his paws where a vole lay.

"I was looking for you!" She purred and she felt her pelt warm from the inside out, and it wasn't because of the warm sun.

"Well, you found me!" He was purring too.

"How do you like it in the clan? Isn't it cool?" He nodded.

"Yeah, but I can't believe that you acually have to hunt for your food! And I thought kittypet life was hard!" He laughed and licked his paws. "But if all I have to do is hunt to be a member of the clan, I'll definitely join for good!"

That scared Flowerpaw. She wanted him to stay, but would he if he found out that he also had to fight and risk his life too?

"Well, that's not the only thing that you have to do…" She ventured.

"What do you mean?" He took another bite of his vole. He chewed fast and swallowed even faster. It was like he was trying to get used to eating meat instead of kittypet food.

"Well, you have to fight too…"

"Fight what?" She looked down at her paws. What she said next could ruin the possibility of him staying with the clan.

"Fight the other clans…"

"There are more clans? Really? Does that mean I have a choice of which clan I want to live in?"

"What? No!"

"Oh, I'm just kidding!" He laughed and then kept on talking.

"Well, cats from different clans get into fights sometimes and then we have a battle. Also, there are badgers and foxes that we have to be careful of, and if they try to attack, we have to fight back…"

"Oh. Wel if that's the case, then-"

"I know, you don't want to join the clan…" She told herself before he could say what he wanted to say.

"No! Of course I'm going to join the clan. I just want you to teach me."

"Me?"

"Mmmhmm." He said, his mouth full of vole.

"I'm only an apprentice! I can't teach another apprentice what I have learned! That's a job for a warrior!"

"When you're a warrior, will you?"

Flowerpaw purred.

"Sure." She licked his head above his ears and he rubbed his head on her side. She was glad that she had a friend like Jack.


	9. Chapter 9

The wind rustled the leaves overhead. Flowerpaw was by the lake, with Thornpaw and Jack.

"Now, you creep up on the prey like this." Flowerpaw said, stalking a stick that had fallen off the surrounding trees. Jack followed suit.

"Then you lean back on your haunches and-LEAP!" Jack leapt and landed suarely on the stick. "Good job." Jack purred with pride.

"But there was one problem." Flowerpaw stepped in front of Thornpaw. "Your scent would have been carried to the mouse, so it would smell you and you wouldn't have a chance of catching it. See how the wind was going away from you, to the stick? The stick could smell you-"

"If it could smell…" Snickered Thornpaw. Flowerpaw glared at him.

"You know what!" She screeched, jumping on Thornpaw and baring her teeth.

"Hey! Break it up!" Jack leapt into the pile, pulling Flowerpaw off of Thornpaw. "Stop! We need to focus if I ever want to be a member of the clan!"

They had agreed to meet in secret by the lake at sundown so that Flowerpaw and Thornpaw could train him like they were his mentors and he was the apprentice.

"Jack, try that again, but you have to sneak around so that the stick-mouse-can't smell you." She glared at Thornpaw angrily and then turned back to Jack as he stalked around a bush. "Good. Now-pounce!" He sprang up into the air and landed squarely on the stick again. "Much better. I couldn't smell you at all. If I was a mouse, I'd better watch out!" She laughed and jack purred. Thornpaw shoved her aside.

"Stop flirting with the kittypet!" He said, glaring. She didn't want to start another fight, but she couldn't help herself. She slapped him with her tail and walked back to Jack.

"Alright. Now, since you know a little about hunting, I will show you what Shadowclan and Windclan smell like."

"They all smell differently? That's weird!" He laughed and followed her towards the Shadowclan border.

"So that's what Shadowclan smells like?" Jack coughed as he caught a whiff of the nasty stench.

"Yeah…" Flowerpaw coughed and turned around, shielding her nose with her tail.

"Ugh, that stinks horribly!" Jack coughed also and turned to trudge after Flowerpaw. The sky was getting dark, and the sun was setting over the mountains in the West.

"Do we have enough time to show him Windclan?" Thornpaw asked, glancing at Flowerpaw.

"Of course." She snapped. "The sun isn't gone yet and it's not that far away." Apparently, Flowerpaw misjudged.

They had finally reached the border when the sun was very-well over the mountains and there was not a ray of light in sight, apart from the small glow of the lights in Horseplace.

"Windclan scent isn't as bad as Shadowclan's, Jack." Flowerpaw urged him to go forward and smell the scent.

"Yeah, but it's not the same as Thunderclan." He laughed. "It doesn't smell so bad compared to the other clans' scent." He purred and followed Flowerpaw past the border.

"I thought that we weren't allowed to go in other clan's territory!" Said Jack, who looked warily around to make sure that nobody was watching.

"We are, but we can go in the area between here and two fox-lengths." Flowerpaw looked back at him reassuringly and kept on going. Flowerpaw didn't seem to care if they were on another clan's territory or what.

A yowl behind her made her pelt prickle.

"What are you three doing on Windclan territory?" Demanded a cat. Behind him emerged Crowfeather.

"It's okay, Nightcloud. I know they won't hurt us. Look, they're just apprentices." He winked at Flowerpaw and then turned back to Nightcloud.

"Yeah, but one smells like a kittypet." Jack glared at Nightcloud like his eyes would kill her.

"So? Maybe they just fought off a pack of kittypets or something. Who knows?" Crowfeather sauntered back away from the apprentices and Nichtcloud followed him.

"Phew!" Cried Thornpaw. "That was close! We could have been Nightcloud food!" He laughed at his little joke and followed Flowerpaw and Jack who were already very close to the Windclan and Riverclan border.

When they arrived at the border, Jack drank in the Riverclan scent. The sun was fully over the mountains and Silverpelt twinkled above them.

"That doesn't smell so bad. Well, since they're Riverclan, they must spend a lot of time in the lake, right?" Thornpaw and Flowerpaw nodded.

"That's probably why they don't smell as bad as Shadowclan or Windclan." Flowerpaw added, turning back to go back to camp. Firestar and Tallear would go mad if they weren't back soon. They thought that they were out hunting.

"We'd better be heading back," Flowerpaw warned, and they turned back. Jack looked back at Riverclan like it was his home and he was being taken away by twolegs. Flowerpaw knew how that felt.

"Where were you?" Stormed Tallear as they slid down the entrance to the camp.

"We were-"

"Out hunting!" Thornpaw cut Flowerpaw off.

"Well, where is the prey that you caught?" Tallear challenged.

"Uh, We had really bad luck. We didn't catch a thing…" Flowerpaw looked down at her paws in embarrasment. How stupid of her to forget the prey!

"Well, tomorrow, you will catch extra! And stay away from the twoleg nest." He turned around and then suddenly he turned back to face them. "Go clean yourselves. You smell like Windclan and Riverclan mixed together!" He spat and sauntered away towards the warriors' den.

"Gee, am I glad that I'm not a warrior. Then I'd have to sleep in the same den as that raging furball." Thornpaw muttered. Jack nodded He was becoming more like a clan cat everyday, Flowerpaw thought as they walked towards the apprentice den to catch up on their sleep.


End file.
